We'll Have To Muddle Through Somehow
by Zubeneschamali
Summary: If Sam Winchester had anyone to send Christmas cards to, what would his 2009 letter say?


Title: We'll Have To Muddle Through Somehow  
Author: Zubeneschamali  
Rating: T  
Summary: If Sam Winchester had anyone to send Christmas cards to, what would his 2009 letter say?

A/N: You know those letters you get with your friends' and relatives' holiday cards that are relentlessly positive and upbeat even though you _know_ their lives have been hell for the past year? How they're written as if nothing bad at all happened even when you know otherwise? This is one of _those_ letters.

The title is a line from the original version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." What could be more appropriate for the Winchesters than a wartime carol?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear [insert name here],

Hope this letter finds you happy, healthy, and not possessed. It's been a momentous year for the Winchester family in a number of ways. We made some new friends, had to say goodbye to some old ones, and learned a lot about ourselves in the process.

We started the year out on a positive note by helping a family stay together, rescuing their son from what we thought at first was a ghost but turned out to be a couple of humans who didn't get out of the house as much as they should. As you know, Dean has always been dedicated to saving people, but he was extra-motivated on this case, and it really showed. Then we got to work with some magicians, which is something I've always wanted to do. We even got to experience part of their act up close and personal, which was very exciting. It really got me thinking about the future and about what I could do to make the world a better place, and I decided to act on it right away. Then we got the opportunity to visit one of our old high schools and put some literal and figurative ghosts to rest. I was able to thank a teacher who really made a difference in my life—actually, in all of our lives—and found out what happened to some old friends of mine, which is always interesting.

Dean and I both made a new friend in February. I met a nice doctor named Cara who gave me some great advice about seizing the day and even showed me how to put it into practice. Dean got to know an FBI agent named Nick who got us to really talk to each other and work out some things that had been on our minds for quite a while. We might have known them both for only a short while, but they definitely had a lasting influence on both of us over the course of the year.

In the spring, we ran into an old friend: Pamela Barnes helped us try something new, and through astral projection, we managed to save one of the seals from breaking. Hurray! Unfortunately, she was fatally stabbed while protecting our bodies when our spirits were out walking, but she died knowing it was for a good cause. RIP, Pamela. The rest of the month was a little more difficult, between Dean being asked to consult on a special project that brought back some bad memories, and both of us later being stuck in a temporarily dead-end job. But with the help of the angels, we made it through. The highlight for me was eliminating the demon who had been Dean's main torturer in Hell; the feeling of accomplishment that gave me was incredible.

April was a month of surprises. First, we were startled to learn that not only is there a prophet of God who's written books about us, but they have a cult following, some of whom are _very_ devoted. Later, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we had a brother we never knew about. It was great to get to be a big brother for once and try to pass on a fraction of everything Dean has done for me over the years. Adam seemed to really take to us, spending as much time as he could with us and learning as much as he could about hunting and our lives. Unfortunately, it turned out that he had already passed on a few weeks before we met him, but we were able to avenge him, and when it comes down to it, that's what family is all about.

At the beginning of the summer, I achieved an important goal that had been on my mind for over a year: eliminating the demon Lilith. While it turned out that she actually _wanted_ me to kill her as part of her plan to raise Lucifer (oops!), at least I was able to get revenge on her for what she did to Dean. Dean got to spend quality time with some angels and found out how much of a presence they've been in our lives over the past year.

After thankfully escaping the site of Lucifer's rising in one piece, we learned that the angels have some important ideas about what we should do with our lives in the upcoming year. Dean was his usual stubborn self in disagreeing with them, but I definitely think he did the right thing. Still, after a few disagreements over hunting methods and strategy, in late summer Dean and I decided it was best if we spent some time separately pursuing our own goals. As it turns out, we each had an encounter with an angel that convinced us we're stronger together, so we met up again and got back on the road. (Dean wanted me to pass along something about stocking up on toilet paper, but I think he's just being Dean. *eyeroll*)

It was a refreshing change of pace to hunt down first an Eastern European forest god and then a witch while we got used to hunting together again. It was good to know that some of Dean's lessons over the years about poker have stuck with me. We had another encounter with our favorite Trickster, who's always a barrel of laughs, and learned some interesting things by playing along with him. Finally, we got to know some of the people in that cult following I mentioned earlier, and while their dedication was a little intense, they also seemed to be really inspired by what the prophet has written about us.

It's hard to end a letter like this on a sad note, but you've probably already heard of the passing of Ellen and Jo Harvelle. They were strong, brave hunters who chose the manner and the meaning of their deaths, and it was our honor to be with them at the end. We will miss them terribly, and I'm sure you will, too.

Anyway, that's all for this year from the Winchesters. Hope the holiday season finds you well and that the impending apocalypse spares you and your loved ones!

Season's Greetings,  
Sam Winchester


End file.
